Sketching designs was a way for me to express myself, relax and feel better. And with the amount of stress and anxiety I’d been experiencing lately, I’d been doing it a lot.
He moved towards it. ‘I didn’t know you could sew.’
I snatched the book and held it close to myself. ‘Only a little bit.’
‘Is that your sketchbook?’
Before I could answer, a loose sheet slipped out and drifted to his feet.
Jai picked it up before I could. He stared at it intently.
‘It’s ... it’s nothing.’ I shuffled my feet. ‘Sometimes I like to sketch my own designs. And make them. It’s … just a hobby.’
‘Can I see it?’ he asked.
I had shown my designs to a lot of people. Most were for job applications. The other timeswere to Rhea or my friends and family when they commissioned me to make a piece for them.
Panic crawled up my throat at the thought of showing them to Jai. Each of these sketches concealed a part of me. And I suppose if he, of all people, didn’t like them … I didn’t know if I’d ever recover from it.
And yet, who better than Jai, the COO of the largest fashion house in India? If anyone could tell me whether I had real talent or wishful thinking, it was him.
My fingers gripped the book before I handed it over.
He took his time flipping through it, his expression hard to decipher. My stomach knotted with every turn of the page.
Did he like them, or did I need to throw them all away? Did I have potential, or was I chasing smoke? Was I even worthy of working with Suraina Mukherjee?
Finally, he looked at me. ‘You want to be a fashion designer, don’t you?’
My heart stopped.
Hearing someone –him– say it out loud felt like a seam splitting open. My truth unravelled.
Yes, I wanted to work for Suraina ma’am. I wanted her mentorship to learn and grow under her guidance. But that wasn’t the end. I wanted to be a fashion designer.
I swallowed. ‘Yes.’
‘I have no idea why you are not one already,’ Jai said. ‘You are absolutely brilliant. Your designs are beautiful and inspired.’
‘Really?’ I was dreaming, surely. There was no way he liked my work that much.
He nodded. ‘I don’t have any jurisdiction over the hiring of designers, but I’ll put in a word with Meera or Suraina, whoever you prefer. I’m sure they would love to have you on their team.’
Jai basically offered me a job. This couldn’t be real. But the hopeful light in his eyes and the proud smile on his lips told me it was.
‘If you don’t hold up your end of the bargain, I’ll have to tell everyone the truth. You can’t be trusted.’
Rekha’s voice slithered in my head.
‘No one will question my judgement. They will never hire you.’
Dark tendrils wrapped themselves around my ribs. My heart slowed down. My mind blanked.
Breathe, Ananya.
‘Ananya? Are you okay?’
‘I …’ I took in a shuddering breath, but it didn’t fill my lungs.
